Tamper tantrum

Alastair Cook and his England bowling attack will be scrutinised after tampering claims (PAUL GILHAM)

IF THE Cardiff weather abates to allow a match today — and that is by no means
certain judging by the dire forecast — England’ s bowlers will not only have
to perform a good deal better than they did on Thursday against Sri Lanka,
but make sure they do so legally.

A ball change during the middle of Sri Lanka’s run-chase at The Oval has
prompted a flurry of insinuations that England’s bowlers had been caught in
the act of altering the condition of the ball, allegations firmly denied by
Ashley Giles, the ODI coach, yesterday.

Today’s meeting with New Zealand — opponents England have faced 14 times
already this year — is effectively a must-win contest. England can still
make the semi-finals even if it is washed out but only if Australia beat Sri
Lanka at The Oval tomorrow by a modest margin, or if that match produces a
“no result”.